The Only Way
by Nia Ashin
Summary: She wanted to set him straight… He wanted to get her attention… What can be a possible way to get the two of them together? Fight o!
1. Obliviousness

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Gokusen… But if I give you a cookie, would you let me own it…? Nah… Probably not… Hehehe… Nevertheless, I own this story! Wahaha! Fight o!

**Summary:**She wanted to set him straight… He wanted to get her attention… What can be a possible way to get the two of them together?

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**The Only Way **

**by Nia Ashin**

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Ahh!

The cool breeze… The clear skies… The sun shining gently and casting its stray rays over his face… Perfect. Just the perfect moment for a---

"Oi Sawada!"

Eh?

It seemed that his perfect moment was lost when he opened an eye to furtively glance at the person who called his name. He groaned and then proceeded to close his eyes again.

Yankumi…

She stood there, hands on her hips and looking positively peeved… no, make that pissed… at him. She stared at his all-too-comfortable sleeping form and shook her head. She had just the time to call on his attention when she gave her class another set of review papers. Although she knew it was futile to even try to convince him to attend his classes on a regular basis, she had to do her job as their adviser and convince him to attend. She hated having to come up to the roof every time he does just that. And today was no exception.

Maybe she'd try beating him to submission, but with Shin Sawada, you could just die trying.

She sighed.

He heard her sigh and thought of considering her for a moment. It took him only a second to know that she wasn't going to leave him anytime soon. So, he lazily opened his eyes and took his time sitting up.

"What do you want?" he looked around the rooftop once before he rested his eyes on her again.

He eyed her for a moment, noticing the glare behind the glasses. He may be impassive and all, but inwardly, he felt a little nervous being around her. He never knew what's going on inside her head sometimes. But that's only a part of it. He knew that the other reason for his nervousness is that his growing interest in his Yankumi-sensei goes as far as liking her. That is, liking her a little more than just being his friend or his sensei.

Wait… He liked her?

Well, that's what he said to his friends, right?

Well, he just has to keep that to himself. Tell her later. Yeah, that's right.

Or not.

That whole time, she just stood there glaring at him. He shifted positions uncomfortably. He wanted to tell her to stop looking at him like that, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. Let alone let her think that he's scared of her demon eyes He had to admit that sometimes her glare gives him the creeps. But then… She cannot know that now, can she?

"Classes---" she started but then Shin cut her off almost immediately.

"Are over, Yankumi," he drawled, pointing at his watch. "Now, if you could just leave me in peace…"

He went back to closing his eyes, leaning against the wall this time.

She sighed in defeat.

"You can't keep doing this, you know," she quipped. "The tests are nearing. And you know that the vice principal wants to---"

Before Yankumi can launch into one of her preaching sessions, Shin opened his eyes and looked at her steadily.

"Yankumi, I'm going to be fine…" he said. "You worry too much."

He stood from his stupor and walked closer to where she's standing, observing her change of expression. From determined and confident, she now stood before him in confusion. There was clearly a sign of amusement in his face when he stopped in front of her.

He stood there quietly for a moment, staring at her face. Her young features made it really impossible to believe that she was already a working girl, more so, a teacher. She looked just about his age but he knew she was a few years older. Her bright eyes, fine nose and full lips reminded him of those you see in television ads. And didn't know why looking at them delighted him to no end.

Yankumi was just about to speak again when he raised a hand to remove her glasses and to tuck a stray hair behind her ears. She became flustered for a moment.

"H-hey…" she stammered. "What are you doing?"

Shin smirked at her.

"You know, Yankumi. The glare works when you don't wear your glasses."

At that, he turned around and started to walk towards the staircases, which lead inside the school building. He had to hide his hands inside his pockets so as to prevent her from seeing them trembling. He felt pleased all of a sudden.

"Eh? What glare!"

He sighed. She could be really oblivious sometimes.

He wasn't all about disobeying her. But he figured much that he couldn't really get close to her inside that classroom without attracting 3-D's all-too-embarrassing or rather unnerving attention. He figured that if he wanted to get close to her… even for a moment… the only way is to get her to come up that school rooftop.

Heh.

Even if half the time she's there just to bug him or scold him or ask him to go to class or in rare occasions, ask him for advice or just to chat…

At least he got her attention.

Call it stupid or whatever.

At least he knows she thinks of him once in a while…

As he sat on his chair that is way in the back row, Shin caught a glimpse of her entering the classroom through the hunched figures of his classmates. So, she really got them working now, doesn't she?

She gave him a glare before turning her back on them and starting to write tomorrow's homework.

And he wondered why all of a sudden he felt a twinge of fear, even when the class had erupted in a chorus of catcalls because of the homework.

Oh… he suddenly remembered. The glasses… Hehehe… He still has it. He smirked as he pocketed it slowly, thinking of when to return it.

Later?

Nah.

Tomorrow?

Maybe.

Looking at her carefully and once again, noting her every move, he had a sudden idea.

"Yamaguchi Kumiko…" he smiled. "You wouldn't last the day without your trusty glasses…"

He rested his head on his arms, a sure sign to his classmates that he was falling asleep. But his reason for doing it was to hide his widening smile.

But the only way for you to get them back… is for you to come up and find me at the school rooftop later… he thought to himself.

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**Author's Note:**Well, how did you like that? Hope you find it good as this is actually my first Gokusen fic… Anyway… I really enjoyed writing stories with the Shinkumi pairing. And I enjoyed imagining it as well. Yay! Till then, my readers. I'd appreciate it if you give me some reviews… Anyway… Fight o!


	2. Yankumi's Rampage

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Gokusen… But if I give you a cookie, would you let me own it…? Nah… Probably not… Hehehe… Nevertheless, I own this story! Wahaha! Fight o!

**Author's Notes: **Thanks to the readers who reviewed for me! Hehehe… Glad you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Anyway… Thanks to you, My10315, Kawaii Selene and yui/alex! Because you guys inspired me so much… And because I can't stop thinking of Sawada either…I guess I'll have to make this story longer than originally planned. Hope you enjoy this next chapter!

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**The Only Way**

**by Nia Ashin **

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The cool and calm teacher that was Yamaguchi-sensei as she was known by the school faculty… or Yankumi by her students had been seen running in a sprint towards the school staircases, which led to the school rooftop. She was, as was said by those who saw her, knocking everyone out of her way as if she couldn't see them. They also said that she had been muttering strange words like _'rip', 'tear', and 'kill'_, that everyone thought she had gone mad.

Those who saw her were right in two things.

One, she really couldn't see. Because without her glasses, she was as blind as the three blind mice. And two, in placid irritation of her situation, she had been fruitlessly trying to locate the culprit who had stolen her glasses, saying that if she ever caught sight of a certain redhead, she would rip him to shreds, tear him to pieces and kill him with her bare hands. Luckily enough, she had grabbed hold of Kuma when she ran… read: literally ran… into him.

"Oi, Yankumi!" Kuma cried as the two of them crashed to the floor.

Kuma looked at his weird teacher with his eyebrows raised.

Kumiko all but jumped up and prepared herself to run… until she realized whom she had bumped into.

"Kuma!" she cried. She grabbed hold of his collar, and demanded, in a rather crude tone, "Sawada. Where. Is. He."

Kuma's eyes widened. He was so sure he had heard that kind of accent before. Almost samurai-like… Almost _yakuza-like_…

"Yankumi!" Kuma protested. "Let go!"

"Where is he, Kuma!"

The poor boy let out a strangled cry.

"Tell me!"

"Le…t me… go… fir…st," Kuma managed to rasp.

After an initial shock, Kumiko loosened her grip on her student.

_What the hell am I doing! _Kumiko thought frantically. _I just tried to strangle one of my students!_

She stood up shakily and helped the big boy get back on his feet. Kuma looked at her strangely. At the moment, he was seriously considering running away from the estrange woman that was his teacher. But because he was too frightened to even make a sound, he just stared at her.

"Are you alright?" she asked the boy.

Kuma could only nod.

"I'm really very sorry, Kumai-kun," she said apologetically. "I didn't mean to hurt you, really. Please. I'm really sorry."

Again, only a nod.

She could tell that the boy was still in shock.

"Now, Kuma," she said. "About my question…"

Kuma's expression turned fearful.

What did she want with Shin-chan? He thought. Did he make her angry again? Oh, poor Shin. Kuma knows just how capable Yankumi is in a fight, having been able to see just how she defended them from their previous fights.

"Yankumi," Kuma said in a pleading tone. "Whatever Shin-chan did… Please don't hurt him, okay?"

Kumiko's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That depends on what answer he's going to give me," she said sharply as Kuma flinched.

"Well?" Kumiko said impatiently.

Kuma swallowed. "The rooftop, Yankumi," he said. "He always goes there after--- Hey!"

Kuma watched as his weird teacher made a dash for the staircases. From where he stood, he saw the crowd as they parted in every direction to get well away from the rampaging woman. Even Uchi, Minami and Noda had cried out and scrambled to get out of her way. They stared after her as she sped around the corner.

Noda approached the still shocked Kuma and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Kuma!" Noda snapped his fingers.

Uchi and Minami had reached them too.

"Hey, what's with Yankumi?' Uchi asked. "Why is she acting all weird again?"

"Yeah," Minami "And why does she have that demon-face again?"

Kuma didn't answer. He just gulped in nervousness.

"Hey, big guy," Noda quipped. "What's happening to you?"

"Kuma?' Uchi echoed.

"Yankumi," Kuma said slowly. "She was looking for Shin-chan."

"Whaaaat?" the three cried in unison.

And they all started talking at the same time.

"This is not good…" Uchi said, shaking his head.

"Should we follow her?" Minami asked uncertainly.

"Where was she headed, anyway?" Noda looked at the direction where Kumiko went.

"The rooftop, I guess," Kuma looked from Uchi to Minami then to Noda.

"Is Shin there?" Noda asked.

"Yeah, he's there alright,' Kuma answered.

"Well, what now?" Noda turned to the other two.

"What do you mean 'what now'?" Uchi echoed.

"Should we stop her?" Minami asked.

"No way! I don't really want to get caught between Yankumi's fists again!" Noda backed out, suddenly remembering the punch he got from her before.

"Me too! Do you know how much a slap from her hurts?" Uchi said.

"She can really be an ox, you know. Meddling could be dangerous!" Noda nodded vigorously.

"But what about Shin-chan?" Kuma was getting desperate.

"He can take her on. He always can." Uchi said thoughtfully.

"But---"

"Yeah… Let's just leave them be." Minami shuddered to think what might happen to them if Yankumi ever notice them hanging around while she's on her devil-mode.

"Are you really Shin-chan's friends?" Kuma shouted.

"Yeah!" the three cried.

"So why are you---"

"Who's saying we're deserting him?" Noda asked the big boy.

"Eh?'

"Right… Let's go!" the three said in monotone.

Kuma looked puzzled at what they were talking about.

"Oi!" he called to his friends who were already walking away hurriedly. "Where the hell are you going?"

The three just continued walking.

"We're going to pray for Shin's life!" they answered back.

Kuma just sweat dropped.

_What the hell…?_

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**Author's notes:**Wahaha! This chapter just came at me… I really didn't know where I got the idea. But hey! I just wanted to reflect Shingumi's funny antics on this fic… So then… Ta da! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll be updating soon as I already have a draft of my next chapter. Well… thank you again for reading! Till then! Fight o!

Oh, yeah… Thanks for the suggestion, Kawaii Selene!


	3. Not Again

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Gokusen… But if I give you a cookie, would you let me own it…? Nah… Probably not… Hehehe… Nevertheless, I own this story! Wahaha! Fight o!

**Author's notes:**Thanks a lot for the reviews, midnight solitaire, miss koneko, Zhahyjiah, Kawaii Selene and Indygodusk! And for all those who read andreviewed! Really appreciate it… Anyway… I really hope that this fic will kick some booty as you said… Hehehe… Here yah go!

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**The Only Way **

**by Nia Ashin**

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The cool breeze… The clear skies… The afternoon sun shining gently and casting its stray rays over his face… Perfect. Just the perfect moment for a---

"Shin Sawada!"

Damn…

Not again.

He had been brooding for the better part of the afternoon, skipping his last two classes in exchange for a breath of fresh air. The classrooms tend to get hot in the afternoons, so sleep wouldn't be as much comfortable as he wanted it to be.

Or so he thought.

He knew that his skipping in his classes had its reasons too. And that is avoiding a certain female whom he had… well... he had played a prank on. Hiding Yankumi's glasses seemed to be not a very good plan after all.

She hadn't noticed until it was lunchtime. And that's when she started getting hysterical, shouting things like _'that damn brat!'_ and _'so that's why I can't see a good deal with their math papers!'_ Apparently, Fujiyama-sensei had noticed it when the track-suited Math teacher almost came slinking inside the boy's washroom during lunchtime and the English teacher had to drag her away. Sawada had seen this and he all but thought to run away lest he wanted to get his head ripped off.

And now…

It looked like his luck had already run out.

She stood before him with that demon-face she has when she's angry or frustrated or just simply irritated. He had sat up from his position and was now facing her. Her dark eyes burned with anger as she stared at him that he shrunk a little. He felt not unlike a mouse facing a very ferocious cat.

"What?' he asked in a quiet voice. Trying to speak nonchalantly while your heart is beating fast in the case of nervousness is not an easy feat. He felt the fear creeping up his spine, threatening to crack his poker-faced expression.

"Hand it over, Sawada," Kumiko demanded. "Now."

"What?' he asked. "Hand what over?"

Kumiko felt her anger rise. _What the hell?_

"Don't play games with me, you brat!" she shouted. "Give me back my glasses!"

Shin had to fight to bite back a laugh. Her face was red in frustration and she seemed to have lost it already.

"I don't really know…" he stated lazily. Toying with her seemed to be interesting at the moment. It was rare that he get to see his precious teacher get so worked up.

Kumiko's eyes grew wide.

"I said…" she said in a dangerous tone. "Hand it over!"

Shin definitely heard the warning in her words. He looked her over. She looked all ready to fight in her stance right now. Sighing, he stood and walked towards her. This didn't seem to bother her as she stood her ground defiantly, waiting for him to come nearer. When he was standing right in front of her, she all but fought back the urge to punch his lights out.

"What makes you think I have it?' he asked her in a whisper.

Eh?

Kumiko sneered. "You were the one who removed it earlier."

Shin rolled his eyes.

"So?'

"Give it back, Sawada," she demanded. "Or else."

"Or else what?"

He heard the faint sound of knuckles cracking.

"I really don't want to hurt you, you know," Kumiko said. "But you're really pushing it this time, brat."

Sawada smirked at her.

"You're really serious, eh?"

He watched as she removed her hair tie and threw them over her shoulder. He knew he had to face her eventually anyway. Why not now? And maybe she'll calm down after venting out her frustration on him.

He stood there, waiting for her.

She stared at him for a moment. Now, she really has no choice. She'd beat him into submission if she had to.

"Come on, Yankumi," he taunted.

Hearing the jeer, she threw out the first punch, which he blocked easily with one arm. She swung again and tried to hit him on the head. Again, he blocked. And on it went, with her throwing all the attacks and him defending himself from her assault.

So… he can really stand against me, eh? Kumiko thought as they continued to their weird exchange. Interesting…

He was getting tired from blocking all her punches already and he felt that her attacks were getting closer and closer to actually hurting him. He avoided a punch to the side and caught her wrist with a hand.

"Oi!" she cried.

"Don't think you can easily beat me, baka," he pinned her arms on her sides as he caught the other one right after. He stopped her movements easily by pulling her closer and using his body as a leverage to actually pin her to himself.

"Bastard!"

He smirked. No way he'd let her win on this one. She'd have to experience losing in a fight sometimes.

"Stop smirking like an idiot!" she bellowed.

He had, as he did not have any choice, to pull her close when she struggled to release herself from his grasp. He didn't really understand why he felt funny in this very compromising position. Shin had to fight back a blush when he noticed that their faces were mere inches apart. He can almost feel her breath mingling with his own now.

"Let go, stupid brat!"

And that's when he noticed… eh? Was her face really flushing?

His was probably flushing too. But Shin continued to hold her firmly, a part of him fearing what she might do should he let go and another part, a larger one at that, just liking the way they are right now.

He had never been this close to her before. Well, if you rule out the time when he tried to pry her away from punching Noda when he caused the _hostess problem_, this might be the first time he held her this close to him. And that time, he had held on to her back. But this is different. He was not trying to stop Yankumi from hitting anyone. He was stopping her from hitting him. And man, did it feel good to hold her like this!

"Yankumi," Shin said, steadying her.

"Don't you try, Sawada!" she spat. "Let me go now!"

Her eyes burned into his and for a moment he became lost.

When had she started to affect him like this anyway?

And when in heaven's name did he ever find Yankumi's anger both delicious and frightening at the same time?

All the fight seemed to fade away from his system and self-consciousness began to settle in. Her furiously blushing façade surprised him and he failed to realize that he had loosened his grip on her already.

Wrong move.

Feeling the loosened grip of her captor, she used the only method she knew in this time of complete desperation.

She used her knee to kick him… _there_.

Fortunately enough, Shin knew she would attempt this attack the moment she felt his loosening grip, so he had moved away just in time. But her attack was nonetheless effective when he doubled over, having been kneed right in the stomach.

"Kuso…" he cursed as he fell on his knees. He held his stomach gingerly.

For a moment, Kumiko wore a smirk of victory. But it quickly faded when she realized what she had done.

"Oh…" she covered her mouth. "Sawada?"

His face red and there was a grimace of pain in his expression.

_What the hell have I done! _Kumiko thought in frustration. _That's two today!_

She fell on her knees beside him and held his shoulder.

"Sawada?" she said. "Are you alright?'

Shin raised his eyes to her .

_I really hope she's joking… _he thought as he looked at her incredulously.

"If you're trying to be funny," he rasped. "It's not working, Yankumi."

Kumiko raise her hands in front of her.

"I'm really sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to--- Hey!" her tone changed in an instant. And her expression turned to irritation. "Why am I asking for your forgiveness anyway?" she spat. "If only you'd have given me what I asked for! This wouldn't have happened in the first place!"

Shin shook his head at her.

"Can you at least help me up here?" he said. "I'm hurt, you know."

She let out a sigh before she grabbed his arms to help him stand. When she let him go, he just brushed himself off and rolled his eyes at her.

"I can't believe you'd go that far, Yankumi," he said. "You could have seriously hurt me."

Kumiko's eyes widened.

"It's not my fault, brat!"

Shin grimaced.

All at once, her irritation vanished and concerned settled in.

"Are you alright?' she asked timidly.

"I'll live."

Kumiko looked at him for a moment and when she's sure he looked all right enough, she nodded.

"Well then," she said, sticking her hand out. "Hand it over."

Shin raised an eyebrow.

"Hand what over?"

"My glasses."

Shin looked at her disbelievingly for a moment before shaking his head.

_This woman could be so unbelievable sometimes… _he thought as he reached inside his pocket for the cursed glasses. _I got beaten up because of her stupid glasses…_

A small voice at the back of his mind was laughing hard and saying that it was partly his fault for getting beat up. He shut off the voice quickly, irritated by the truth it spoke of.

"So much for glasses, Yankumi," he said. "Really."

"Shut up, brat."

Kumiko waited impatiently for him, keeping her eyes determinedly on his.

But when she noticed that Shin's usual mirthful smirk had vanished and had been replaced by something she could only describe as a look of pure horror, she could only deduce that something had gone terribly wrong. He pale face made him looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"Oi, Sawada," she said. "What's wrong?"

Shin made a small noise in his throat.

"What's the problem now?" she asked.

He took out his hand slowly.

"Eh?' Kumiko voiced when she looked at his hand, which he opened rather reluctantly.

It was only then that she saw… that her glasses had snapped cleanly into two.

Shin could only look at her in fear for a moment before he slowly backed away. He was so sure he wouldn't live if she got her hands on him again. So while still she's still in shock, he chose this time to make his escape by backing away from her. Maybe she wouldn't notice until he was gone…

But he was wrong… again.

He was about to run away when he heard her call him back in her stiff yakuza accent.

"Sawada. Get. Back. Here. You. Bastard."

At that moment, he really couldn't think of anything else as his life flashed before his eyes.

_Eh? Am I about to die? _He thought.

He turned around to face the all-too-quiet woman behind him.

"Oh… crap…" he whispered as he saw her staring at him, her dark eyes flashing. He vaguely wondered why the hell he could see a danger sign pasted right in her forehead.

_I think… I really am about to die… _he thought as she slowly advanced towards him.

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**Author's notes:**Well? How was that? Hope you liked this chapter, my readers! Don't worry though. I love Shin Sawada too much that I won't let him die… Besides, Yankumi loves him too, ne? Hehehe**… **Anyway… I'll see you on my next update! Till then! Fight o!


	4. Someone to Watch Over Yankumi

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Gokusen… But if I give you a cookie, would you let me own it…? Nah… Probably not… Hehehe… Nevertheless, I own this story! Wahaha! Fight o!

**Author's notes:**Hey there! Hehehe… Thank you all for reviewing for my fic! I really appreciated it! And thank you for opening my eyes TruthisBrutal... I really appreciated the help... Again thanks!

But before I give you the next chapter, will just let me say a few words? For the people who really didn't understand why I had to use the foreign words on my fic… Well… I'm not really going to change what I had written because, believe it or not, I am used to those kinds of words. Hehehe… Anyway… Maybe it's due to the fact that even if I'm a bit of Pinay, I don't usually curse in Filipino or even in English… Owing to the other fact that I have spent half of my life training under a Japanese coach in my sport. It was him who taught me how to speak and write in Japanese. And even now, I'm still stuck with him, so I still had to speak in Japanese whenever we have training, which happens every living day of my life. Hehehe… I hope this explains why I had to include some of my everyday words into what I write… Anyway… Really sorry for the confusion, ne? I hope you understand…

Anyway… Enough with the delay! Here yah go!

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**The Only Way **

**by Nia Ashin**

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Sniffle…

Sob…

Glare…

Sniffle…

Sniffle…

Sob…

Glare…

Sitting behind the sobbing Yamaguchi Kumiko inside an optical shop, Shin can't help but sigh and throw looks of overwhelming pity at the woman who was his teacher. It was a bad thing for him when the old man who owned the shop had gone to the back to check for glasses that resembles hers because she kept throwing him evil glares and hurt looks before burrowing her head in her arms to sob a little more.

Just an hour ago, he was so sure that he wasn't going to have another day to live when he had, by accident of course, broken Yankumi's precious glasses. Just when he thought that she was going to kill him right then and there, he was surprised to find her trying desperately to stop herself from crying.

Eh? Crying?

_What…? _He found himself thinking when he saw this.

"Yankumi?"

The woman had turned away from him and shook her head.

_What now? _Shin wondered what he should do. Should he run? Not a good idea. She would just run after him anyway. Should he try to speak to her? Yeah. Maybe that will be the best thing to do at the moment.

"Uh… ano… I'm sorry," he said slowly. "About your glasses, I mean."

Again, she shook her head.

He waited for another few seconds, wondering when it will be safe to leave her presence. But he didn't really want to leave her after he had done something wrong.

But then she turned to face him.

"Now what am I to do!" she cried.

Shin was taken aback by her outburst.

_What does she mean anyway…? _

"What?" he voiced.

"My glasses, you brat!"

He stared at her for a moment. Eh? The glasses? He was so sure that even without them, she could manage just fine. So why the big… fuss?

"Hey Yankumi," Shin said, returning to his usual airy self. "I've seen you several times without your glasses. You can fight even without them. So why do you have to be so unhinged so as to attack me for it? Were you really that upset about losing them?"

Kumiko can't believe her ears.

"What do you mean I can manage?" she cried. "You brat! Has it ever occurred to you that I need them to see properly at night! I only remove them every time I fight so as not to lose them or break them!"

* * *

_**Nia: I do this too, really. I only remove my glasses when I'm in training or when it's bedtime. I can't see properly at night, that's why I had to wear glasses. It was like my eyesight is deteriorating every time. Oh… poor me.**_

* * *

She waved a hand at him.

"And as for attacking you… well…" she said slowly.

Shin waited for her to continue but she couldn't quite manage to put her words together.

"I wasn't really planning to…"

Shin smirked then shrugged. When he was sure she wasn't going to attack him any further, he walked towards her. Sure, she was still glaring at him, but at least, she wasn't making any attempt to hurt him again. He stared at her for a moment, noting the teary-eyed expression on her face.

He had to turn away and look at the opposite direction when he reached her, not wanting her to see his reddening façade.

"Come on," he grabbed her upper arm.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she realized that he was gently tugging her towards the staircases. She made small protests, but he didn't even turn to acknowledge her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying to tug her arm away.

_Eh? Since when did he had this much strength to pull me along?_ Kumiko thought to herself.

"Oi, brat!" Finally she tugged her arm free.

They were standing in the empty hallway now.

"What do you think you're doing, huh?" she asked. "First, you played a prank on me. Then you broke my glasses. And now, you're dragging me? What gives?'

Shin ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"If I recall correctly, it wasn't me who broke your glasses," he said.

"Eh?"

"It was you," he said, rolling his eyes. "You kneed me here, remember?" he pointed at the lower part of his stomach.

"You were hiding it there?"

Shin raised an eyebrow at her.

"Still!" Kumiko said defiantly. "It was fault! If you didn't hide it in the first pla---"

"Which is why," Shin interjected loud enough to halt her words. "I'm going to get you a new one."

For a moment, Kumiko was quiet. Shin gave her a smirk before turning away.

"It was _partly _my fault, anyway."

At that, he started to walk towards the school exit, slowing his gait as he waited for Yankumi to catch up with him.

And when they reached the optical shop, Kumiko began to talk with the owner there about getting the same glasses as her old one.

The old man had excused himself for a moment, saying that he needed to take a look at what he had in stock at the back.

That left the two of them alone at the front shop.

"Why are you still crying, baka?" he questioned her.

Kumiko shot him another glare. He winced.

"You don't understand, brat," she said in return.

"What?"

"Will you just stop questioning me?" she snapped.

Shin sighed.

"Alright.," he said and he kept quiet.

They waited for the old man to return in silence, with her looking t the display shelf and him, leaning on the wall behind her. She had her back to him so she didn't see him silently observing her. Shin had to smile when he saw that even if she had just come from a fight, though it was not that serious, there was not a smidgen of dirt in her clothes. In fact, she looked like she didn't come from it in any way. She sure knows how to dress herself now, doesn't she? Though she didn't looked lady-like in any way and she might have been mistaken for a boy quite a few times, he could see by the way she carried herself that she was still a woman. With what the curves of hips and her… eh?

Shin shook himself from his thoughts.

He couldn't quite believe that he had allowed himself to think that far about Yankumi.

But still… Looking at her now…

He wondered why the others haven't seen her as a woman…

_By Kami…_ he closed his eyes. _What the hell's gotten into me now?_

When he opened his eyes, he saw her looking at him curiously.

"What's wrong, Sawada?" she asked.

He shrugged.

_Please… Just turn away, Yankumi… _he pleaded silently.

And as if, hearing his silent plea, she shrugged and then turned away. He could only sigh in relief. But that didn't quite settle his nerves when he suddenly remembered something else.

_Do you by any chance like Yankumi? _

Uchi's voice floated around his head.

_I think… Probably._

Came his answer.

Why did he have to be that stupid as to admit that to his friends, anyway? He mentally smacked himself on the forehead. And why… Why the hell he had to take an interest to this strange woman who had a nose for trouble as he is?

He looked at her again, grateful for the fact that she decided to go along with his plea and had kept her back to him. His red face would be a sight for her should she turn to him again.

At first, he thought that what she was to him was just a passing interest. One of those who just came for a moment and then proceeded to leave immediately after. But she wasn't one of those.

He had marveled over it.

So, maybe she wasn't one of those types, eh? But then… He wondered since when had he been thinking along those lines now? Since he met her? Maybe. This strange woman… Heh… She came past the boundary of just being his schoolteacher now, did she? Maybe he didn't come to notice it, but he had unknowingly allowed her to come close to him. And that bothered him. It bothered him to be this close to someone that he wasn't worrying about anything at all. It bothered him to be close to someone like Yamaguchi Kumiko, a woman unlike any other.

Eh?

_What am I to her really? _He began to wonder. _Does she even see me as someone else other than her student…?_

He sighed again.

_I really hope that she does think of me differently… Because if not… Well, we'll just have to work on that now, won't we?_

The thought amused him.

He was surprised when she suddenly spoke up.

"I have to thank you for this, Sawada," Kumiko said, turning to him. "Even if it's your fault in the first place."

"Doesn't matter," he waved her off. "And I already know that. You don't have to remind me every time."

She stuck out her tongue at him.

_Childish…_

The smirk returned to his features thankfully just before the shop owner came back to the front shop.

"Miss," the owner began. "I'm really sorry but it looks like we don't have that fits to resemble your glasses."

All at once, Kumiko looked disappointed.

"But," the owner continued. "If you could just wait, we'll have another delivery and we can do something about it."

Shin walked up to the counter and placed himself beside the dejected woman.

"How long will it take?" he asked.

The owner thought for a moment.

"Oh… About two to three days, at least.," he answered.

Shin looked at her.

"What now, Yankumi?"

"I guess it can't be helped…" she sighed. "Well then…"

She began to turn away when Shin held her arm again.

"Maybe you can do with one of those…" he pointed to the shelf display.

"Oh yes!" the owner said. "Maybe you can… Ah… Here you go, young lady. Try that!"

And what followed was Kumiko trying on pair after pair of glasses. She reeled quite a few times when she tried on a pair that didn't quite meet her grade. At other times, she had to remove them quickly as to avoid looking like a total dork. After a while, she got tired.

"Looks like I'll just have to pass…" she said.

"What will you do?" Shin asked her.

Kumiko faced the elderly man from behind the counter.

"Can you guarantee that I can have the same pair after a few days?" she asked him.

The shop owner nodded profusely.

"Certainly, miss," he said. "But will you be alright without them for a while?"

She handed the broken pair of glasses to him and nodded.

"No problem at all," she said.

Shin watched I silence as the two talked for a while. The old man had arranged for her to pick up her glasses after three days and she agreed. The pay would be discussed when she return. That suited well with everyone it seemed.

But that was until the two of them were outside that Kumiko actually started worrying.

"I guess I'll have to do without them for a while…" she sighed. "But then…"

Shin wondered if he should say something about it. But he couldn't really think of anything.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked suddenly.

Kumiko turned to him, a grim pasted on her face.

"Sawada," she said. "Are you worried about me?"

Shin flustered at her words. Had he been that transparent? He really hoped not.

"What… What are you saying?" he stammered. "I'm just… I just feel…"

Kumiko's smile grew wider.

"Why does it feel like you're actually worrying about me?" she said.

Shin had to turn away from her. He could swear that if she continues to say things like that, he might just do something he will maybe regret later.

"Don't be ridiculous," he snapped, choosing instead to revert to his former poker-faced self rather than letting her see how she can disarm him that easily.

He began to walk away. From behind him, he heard Kumiko hurrying to catch up with him. When she did, she still had that bobcat grin on her face.

"Well then," she said. "I wonder what I should do now."

Shin glanced at her.

"I could wait for it, yeah," she said thoughtfully. "But for the next few days…"

Shin sighed.

_Why the hell do I have to give a damn so much…?_

"If you have that much worry," he said. "I'll watch over you the next few days."

"Eh?"

"You heard me, Yankumi."

"Yeah," she said. "But I don't understand."

Shin stopped walking and faces her, running a hand through his hair.

"So as to ease my mind over he matter, I'll watch over you until you get your glasses back," he said casually. "I'll see to it that you don't get in trouble so much."

"Hey…" she said. "I don't get into trouble!"

"That's what you say…"

"And I don't need your help!" she said defiantly. "I'm not some old lady, you know!"

She stomped away angrily. But Shin had to swallow down a guffaw when she tripped over the curb and landed hard on her knees.

"Owww…" she whined.

Shin crouched down next to her.

"See what I mean?" he taunted.

He offered her a hand, which she took reluctantly.

Kumiko shot him an annoyed look, one that said that he doesn't have to rub it in. He just rolled his eyes in return. He watched as Kumiko brushed herself off.

Finally, she sighed.

"All right, you brat," she said in a firm tone. "Do what you want. Watch over me if that _eases _your mind."

Shin's heart was dancing wildly but his face showed nothing more than impassiveness.

_That means…_

"Sure, Yankumi," he said, before starting to walk again.

She walked ahead of him as they treaded the way towards her house. If he's going to watch over her, well, he can start now, can't he?

Talk about making excuses…

He sure wasn't up for babysitting anyone at that time. He can for Natsumi, sure. But she was his sister. He'd do anything for her.

But Yankumi… Well, she's different. Babysitting her would be… disastrous on the average level. But he felt excited about it. It was only then that he realized that he had just made another excuse to stay close to her. Even if it's only for a few days… Heh…

"Sawada," Kumiko piped up from ahead of him.

"What?"

"Does this means you're going to have to come to my house that next two nights?' she asked.

Shin shrugged, although she couldn't see.

"Looks like it…"

Kumiko clapped her hands together.

"Well, grandfather would like that!" she said excitedly. "He always wanted you to come around, you know."

Shin smiled at her obliviousness.

_Yeah… I think I'll like that too…_

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**Author's notes:**I'd like to thank everyone who read my fic! Anyway… School's starts soon. I really hated the idea of having to part with my beloved computer, you know. But I guess it can't be helped. My later updates would just have to wait… Waah… Anyway… I hope you guys continue reading my story! Till then! Fight o!


	5. Day One

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Gokusen… But if I give you a cookie, would you let me own it…? Nah… Probably not… Hehehe… Nevertheless, I own this story! Wahaha! Fight o!

**Author's notes:**Hi everyone! This is the next chapter of the story… I would just like to thank all the readers and those who have reviewed my story. You guys are real help… Anyway… I'll give you the story first. Hope you like this chapter!

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**The Only Way **

**by Nia Ashin**

------------------------------

The early morning getting up ritual was as difficult task as climbing the Everest for the longhaired woman of the Kuroda household. And even if the alarm clock at the side of her bed rings its wake up call, it will have to take two very masculine arms to get her out of bed. Sometimes, even four.

And it was one of those mornings when Minoru and Tetsu had to check in on their Ojou and wake her up so as to prevent her from being late. Tetsu was prodding Minoru gently on the back as they approached the bedside.

"Why don't you do it for a change, aniki?" Minoru suggested nervously.

_And get strangled right on the spot? _Tetsu thought fearfully. _No way…_

"She will less likely hurt you, Minoru," Tetsu said.

_I would have preferred not likely to be hurt than less…_ he added as an afterthought.

"Nani?" Minoru glanced at him.

Tetsu could only give him a pitying look. Sometimes, Minoru can be too slow for his own good. Not that he cared much about it. The young live-in yakuza has a genuinely good heart. He cannot say much about brains, but he's definitely loyal and he knows his place. Besides, the Ojou trusts and cares for him like a brother.

"Nothing, Minoru," he said. "Go wake up the Ojou. She will be late if she gets up any later than this."

Minoru gulped.

Tetsu watched as the big guy crouched beside the bed and checked the blanketed lump that lay sleeping.

"Ojou?" Minoru voiced out.

She did not so much as stir.

"Ojou, wake up," Minoru called. "Ojou?"

The two men heard a low growl from beneath the slightly moving lump on the bed.

"Ojou?" Minoru called again.

Tetsu definitely saw the warning sign flashing red, but before he can pull Minoru back to a safe distance, the lump otherwise known as Yamaguchi Kumiko, let out a loud cry. She jumped up nimbly from her stupor and proceeded to grab her unknowing brother in a tight headlock. Minoru's arms made wild circles at his side as he cried out in surprise.

"O… Ojou!" Tetsu cried in a desperate attempt to avert her still sleepy attention to him.

At once, after hearing the loud call, Kumiko stop tightening her arms around the poor guy's neck. And seeing Tetsu, she had to stop for a moment to register what she was seeing.

_Tetsu… there. That means…_

"Ojou!" Tetsu cried out again.

"Oh…?" she said in question.

Kumiko looked down and was surprised when she saw that he poor guy she had been strangling was none other than her adopted brother Minoru.

_Had I been dreaming…? _She thought to herself.

She immediately released Minoru's head and neck and shook her head, clearing it of sleep.

"It's you guys," she said.

"Y… Yes, Ojou," Tetsu said nervously.

Kumiko stretched her arms over her head and watched as Tetsu helped Minoru to stand up. Minoru still looked shocked, to say the least, but at least she had released him.

"Gomen ne, Minoru," she said apologetically. "I really didn't mean to…"

"I… It's alright, Ojou," Minoru rasped out.

Though she was still sleepy, the idea of nearly killing you own men by accident alerted her instantly.

"Ojou," Tetsu said. "Please come down and have breakfast before you leave."

The two men bowed slightly and proceeded to file out of the room.

Once they left, Kumiko began the cursory tidying up of her bed. After that, she took her habitual quick shower and got dressed in her usual tracksuit. The bustle around the house clearly meant that every living being in their household had woken up way before she did. And when she finally came down, she saw her grandfather preparing the altar for their morning prayer.

"Ohayou, ojii-san," she greeted cheerfully.

The third generation kumichou of the Kuroda clan turned around carefully to face his granddaughter, his smile widening as he did.

"Ohayou, Kumiko," he said in return.

"Ojou!" she heard the greeting behind her and she turned too, to face the other occupants of the Kuroda household.

Tetsu, Minoru and Wakamatsu all bowed.

"Ou," Kumiko voiced. "Ohayou."

After the greeting, Kumiko placed herself beside her grandfather and faced the altar. Together, they prayed earnestly for guidance and good providence for the kumi throughout the day. Kumiko took a while also to pray for her cute students in 3-D, praying that they will have the wisdom to be able to understand their day's lessons and the sense to at least have the decency not to get into another trouble which might get them expelled. She also prayed for her co-workers, especially for that bespectacled Kyoto-sensei whose mission in life is to make life as hard as possible for her and her students. She prayed for her late parents too, and asked that they continue to watch over her and her family.

After the prayer, their small group filed out of the inner room and proceeded to the dining area where the low table was laden with food prepared for breakfast. Kumiko, excited at seeing the food, became animated in an instant. She talked feely and comfortably amongst her family members as they ate, hardly noticing the fact that she kept on missing her own rice bowl and was actually digging in on Wakamatsu's.

The others kept quiet about it, fearing their Ojou more than anything, and Wakamatsu just chose to just smile at her unusual antic for the morning. Kuroda Ryuiichiro, on the other hand, chose to comment on her granddaughter's obliviousness.

"Kumiko," he said, quickly halting her speech about today's work. "Are you alright?"

"Eh?" Kumiko said thoughtfully.

"You seem a little off today," her grandfather took a sip of tea.

"You think?" she asked. "Oh, no. Ojii-san, I'm perfectly fine today!" she placed a hand on her forehead and mockingly checked her temperature. "See? No fever!"

"None?"

"None."

"A headache perhaps?" her grandfather continued.

"Uh, no."

"A cold?"

"Still no, ojii-san," she found herself wondering why on earth was her grandfather asking her these questions.

"A blurred vision?" he continued.

"Eh?" Kumiko dropped her chopsticks in surprise. A blurred vision? Well, yeah… Considering the fact that she didn't have her glasses with her today, she does have a blurred vision. "Maybe?"

"How come you're not wearing your glasses, Kumiko?" Kuroda said, looking at her.

"Oh, that…" she said slowly. "Well… I broke it yesterday. Had a little problem, you see. I'm getting a new one though. You don't have to worry."

Kuroda nodded and then smiled.

"So that explains it…" he said thoughtfully.

Kumiko frowned suddenly, not understanding her grandfather.

"That explains what?" she asked.

Kuroda pointed his chopsticks at the rice bowl in front of her.

"Why you have eating out of Wakamatsu-san's bowl instead of your own,' he said clearly.

"Eh?" Kumiko looked down at the rice bowl and stared at it for a moment. And true enough, she saw that the markings on the side of the bowl are different from hers. The rice bowl was indeed Wakamatsu's.

Her face blushed for a moment before she looked up to the owner of the bowl to grin at him sheepishly.

"Sumimasen," she said.

Wakamatsu just shook his head.

"It is quite alright, Ojou," he said in return. "I will just have to use a different one this morning," and at that he nodded to them and stood to get another bowl from the kitchen.

Thankfully, the breakfast in the household finished with grace and the young live-ins had already began to clear the low table.

"Ikimasu!" she bade them goodbye as she stepped out onto the engawa. She heard the sharp clacking of stones as her grandfather performed the age-old tradition of warding off bad fortune.

"Hai," he nodded. "Good luck today, Kumiko."

"Be careful, Ojou," the others said.

"Ou," she returned.

She waved at the other occupants in the house before she made her way out of the wooden gates, wondering if she'll make it on time to catch the bus without much problem this morning. Well, if any way, she'll have to get to school. She can't let those brats run around on their own. And what's more, she can't pass up the chance to meet Shinohara-san.

At the thought of the guy, Kumiko found herself felling self-conscious all of a sudden.

She can't help but be smitten every time she thinks of him. What do they call this? Oh… a crush? Infatuation? Love?

Love. It was definitely something like that.

Maybe.

Well, as far as he's concerned, there are so many obstacles between the two of them. And one of those obstacles was the growing interest of the other two female faculty members of Shirokin, Kawashima-sensei and Fujiyama-sensei, in the man she's also interested in. They are good competition too, she knew. With Fujiyama-sensei's flawless beauty and Kawashima-sensei's mature personality, she might look like just an average high school girl interested in nothing but bowling, video games and fights. Add to it the fact that other cop with glasses, Kashiwagi, had been dropping hints here and there about his interest in her. And there's really no need to mention her background, right?

She sighed dramatically.

_Why does love had to be that hard these days?_

She knew her chances would go down the drain should news reach Shinohara-san about her true identity. And sooner and later, he's bound to find that out.

Another unrequited love…?

"Why does this happen to me every time…?" she whispered to herself.

"What does?" a voice sounded behind her.

Surprised, she stood frozen on the spot. After a few silent seconds, she turned around to find the ever-impassive Sawada Shin standing behind her. He was in his school uniform, hands shoved deep in his pockets, carrying nothing.

"Sawada?" she said.

Shin stepped closer to her and tapped her forehead gently.

"You're going to be late," he said smartly and then stepped around her to continue walking.

After the shock wore off, she hurried to catch up with him.

"Sawada," she quipped. "Why are you here?"

He raised an eyebrow at her as if she's asking some stupid question. Then he smirked.

"Well?" she demanded.

"I'm watching over you remember?" he said a matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Kumiko nodded. "But you know, you really didn't have to do this."

Shin glanced at her. She was smiling at him and he had to turn away to prevent his teeth from showing themselves in an embarrassingly wide smile.

He didn't speak the rest of the way to the bus stop. But Kumiko, at the prospect of a companion, became animated once again, speaking about anything that came to mind. He didn't really need to tell her that he enjoys listening to her speak about anything as if there's no tomorrow. And he really didn't need to tell her that he enjoys just being with her, which is the very reason why he's waiting for her outside their house this morning.

He had debated to himself last night whether he should come by her house and see if she's going to be alright in going to school the following morning. Well, he had to admit that the thought alone was inviting enough. But wouldn't that be a little too obvious of him? But then again… Yankumi can be just as ignorant as a five year-old kid. He was still undecided when he went to bed. And then he just decided not to do it. There's no need to waste such a good morning just to walk her to school. And besides, arriving to school with her meant that he had to take all his morning classes. She would see to it that he would.

And that's the very reason why he had been mentally smacking himself on the head when he found himself walking towards the district where her house was.

But now, it seemed that he had made a good impulsive choice.

He watched her silently as they waited in line for the bus. She seemed not aware of the fact that her student wasn't really listening to her. But he noticed that her unawareness doesn't have anything to do with her obliviousness at the moment when she kept looking in every direction but at him.

Eh? Waiting for someone? He thought.

"Yankumi," he said.

"Eh?" Kumiko glanced around him. "What is it?"

Shin observed her for a moment.

"Are you waiting for someone?" he asked.

Kumiko looked surprised at his astute observation but then decided to deny the fact that she was, well, waiting for someone.

"Oh, me?" she laughed lightly. "No. It's just that… Well, you see---"

"Yamaguchi-san," another voice interrupted her.

At the sound of the voice, Shin saw that she paled literally.

_What the…_ he looked around her only to find the smiling Shinohara, standing in line behind her. And his smirk vanished.

At renewed vigor, Kumiko whipped around and smiled widely at the cop.

"Shinohara-san," she said. "Ohayou!"

_So that's why…_ Shin thought as he looked at her. And his smirk instantly became the thing of the past as he stared at the smitten woman in front of him.

"Ah, Sawada-san is here too," Shinohara commented on his presence.

Shin could only nod nonchalantly before he turned away.

And it was as if Kumiko had forgotten entirely about her student as she began to devote all eyes and ears to the newly arrived cop. Shin could only give her a furtively annoyed glance.

_Well… So much for a morning call… _he thought to himself. Why did he have to witness this?

There was nothing he could do anyway, as the three of them waited in line for the bus. Kumiko busied herself in talking with the cop as Shin tried hard to keep his air of impassiveness around him. He knew he was doing a good job of hiding his annoyance at the sudden uninvited arrival of the ace cop when Shinohara suddenly commented on his presence.

"Sawada-san," Shinohara's voice suddenly reached ears.

Shin turned to him rather lazily, wanting nothing more than to keep his silence and just let this bad, bad morning incident pass.

"You seemed to be a little too quiet," he said.

Shin could only stare at him.

_What a lame attempt to start a conversation… _he thought as he shrugged.

"Well," Kumiko chirped. "He is always like that. I highly doubt if there's a time when he's loud…"

Shin silently wished for her to just stop talking about him in front of Shinohara. Partly because she was speaking about him in such a way that teachers talk about their students, and partly because he just doesn't like hearing about himself that way.

"I never knew you'd be so kind to go out of your way to take care of Kumiko," Shinohara caught his attention. "Coming all the way here just to make sure she'll be alright."

"Nani?" Shin became confused this time.

Shinohara smiled at him.

"Kumiko told me you offered to watch over her for a few days," Shinohara said. "Well, just until she gets her glasses back anyway."

Shin turned to Kumiko and he saw that she was smiling broadly at him.

He only nodded before turning away.

Kumiko started talking animatedly again and Shinohara turned his attention immediately back to her. He heard her say something about her students and Shin inwardly groaned. No doubt she's talking about their unruliness again. Or their sweetness. Or their cuteness. Or… whatever.

He barely heard her words as he kept a look out for the bus.

_What's keeping up the stupid bus? _He thought impatiently. _We are going to be late._

He was surprised at his own thoughts. Since when did he ever feel concern about coming to school late? If he remembered correctly, he was still that same person who comes to school late…

Before his thought could float somewhere else, he noticed the crowd moved excitedly.

Ah… the bus. Thank God… He ran a hand through his hair and thanked the heavens for the salvation. The combined torture of the morning sleepiness, Yankumi's relentless and absurd nature and Shinohara… well… he was feeling a little bit agitated by the whole thing.

What an understatement.

Shin turned to the other two and said, in a very tempered tone, "The bus is here."

Kumiko glanced at him with an annoyed look while Shinohara nodded at him. He ignored Kumiko's antic and proceeded to get behind her. Right between her and Shinohara.

"Oh?" She managed to let out a sound before she felt her student push her gently towards the inviting bus.

Shin continued to guide her towards the bus, taking care not to push her more forcefully than necessary. He felt a smirk creep into his features. They got on the bus with a little difficulty as the people began to secure seats.

Having been one of those who got in last, they resolved to just stand near the bus door.

Shin couldn't be happier when he found himself pressed against Kumiko as they stood together near the door. And yes, he was right in between them again. Right in between her and the cop. Hah!

"What are you doing?" Kumiko whispered to him, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Shin shrugged.

"What?" he asked her innocently.

Kumiko just huffed.

Of course, he couldn't be that dense to not know what she was talking about. He knew she was talking about her dear Shinohara-sensei. And the fact that he was keeping them from divulging in each other's presence.

_As if… _he thought.

Kumiko leaned on the bus railing, rolling her eyes at him.

And though he was enjoying her timid anger at him, he kept an impassive face all the way to school.

-----------------------------

Kumiko slammed her class record on her table, all the while unaware of the interested stares she was getting.

_How dare he… _she seethed. _Ruining such a perfect moment with Shinohara-sensei…_

**Nia Ashin: Pardon me while I strangle this lady…**

It was lunch break that day, a time for nearly everyone to eat and relax and maybe try to catch up with the others. But for Shirokin Gakuin professors, it is a time to be alert, alive, awake and… never mind the last part.

Yamaguchi Kumiko had taught through her morning classes with such impassiveness that she didn't even care to settle down her class when they got a little too noisy. It may have been a bit weird to some, but it sure provided them a lease to relax a little.

She sighed.

Well, she can't help but remember her fateful morning. She had been too happy when she was finally able to catch Shinohara-sensei on the bus line, something she had been wishing for since the day they met. But then, Sawada Shin just happened to be there too. And he had been so insensitive to her silent plea that he actually kept the two of them well away from each other.

_The damn brat… _she thought.

She sat on her desk chair and buried her face in her arms.

Hers was a love that could never be… A dramatic sequence of romantic scenes entered her brain and she can't help but compare her unrequited love story to those of Romeo and Juliet. A blossoming love that society cannot accept and… Does she really need to mention her family?

Her shoulders heaved dramatically.

"What seems to be the problem, Yamaguchi-sensei?"

At the sound of the voice, Kumiko quickly sat up. She saw the smiling faces of Kawashima-sensei and Fujiyama-sensei.

"Ah… eh…" she stammered.

There was one thing about being caught in the middle of a drama. But being caught in a drama by Fujiyama-sensei and Kawashima-sensei was another thing.

Kumiko grinned nervously at the pair and turned away hastily.

"Nothing!" she stammered. "Today's a great day, ne? Nothing's wrong! Absolutely problem free! Hehehe…"

The two shot each other a confused look. Kumiko silently pleaded for heaven's grace that the ladies would just leave her alone. But to Kumiko's surprise and horror, Fujiyama-sensei sat on her own chair and scooted next to her while Kawashima-sensei made herself comfortable by leaning on her desk.

"Doesn't sound too convincing, Yamaguchi-sensei," Kawashima-sensei said.

"Right," Fujiyama-sensei chimed in. "There is definitely something wrong."

Kumiko blinked at the two of them, feeling like she was one of those convicted people being interrogated by two very stern menkai.

"Spill," came the order.

Kumiko sighed. There's absolutely no escaping these two. But there's no way she could tell them about Shinohara-sensei. They would just bite her if she did. They were rivals for his attention anyway.

_What could I possibly tell them…? _Kumiko thought desperately.

"Is there something wrong with your students again?" she heard Kawashima-sensei.

_By Kami! What a save! _Kumiko acted concerned this time.

"Did they get into some kind of trouble again?" Fujiyama-sensei chided.

Kumiko was overly tempted to say yes to their questions. But then, what would she say? As far as her class was concerned, she hadn't heard anything bad about them this week. No fights. No trouble. Nothing. This surprised even Kyoto-sensei.

"Uh…" she voiced.

But before she can continue with her words, Kawashima-sensei placed a hand on her shoulder. Kumiko looked up to her and saw that the kind nurse was looking at her sympathetically.

"We know, Yamaguchi-sensei," she said.

_Huh? _Kumiko thought to herself. _They know? They know what!_

"We know how hard it must be for you," Fujiyama-sensei said. "Keeping your students' trouble from the whole school."

It took a few seconds before Kumiko registered what they said.

_Students' trouble… _

Realizing that heaven did not completely abandon her, she let out a strangled laugh.

"Haha…" she smiled nervously. "No, no. You see…"

"Anyhow, Yamaguchi-sensei," Fujiyama-sensei cut short her words. "You are one strong woman, eh? We know you can solve the problem."

"Right," Kawashima-sensei put in. "Just be very careful in doing that. You do know Kyoto-sensei's been keeping tabs for you and 3-D, don't you?"

She smiled at the two of them, feeling relieved that she didn't have to say anything to them. She could just let them think what they want. It's probably safer that way anyway.

Kawashima-sensei straightened up from her position and stretched.

"Well, Yamaguchi-sensei," she said. "You really can't solve anything on an empty stomach. So let's go get something to eat."

"I'm going," Fujiyama-sensei agreed readily and stood up too. "I'm famished."

Kumiko shook her head no.

"I…" she said. "I'm not going. I'm not hungry."

The two ladies glanced at each other again.

"Well…" Kawashima-sensei nodded at her. "If you say so. But don't faint, okay? I won't help you if you do, alright?"

Kumiko nodded.

"Don't worry," she said reassuringly. "I won't."

Kawashima-sensei smiled at her.

"Just kidding," and the two thankfully left her side.

She watched as the two walked out of the faculty room, waving back at them when they waved goodbye.

She sighed.

_I can't eat…_ she thought. _Not really hungry…_

Kumiko continued on her stupor for a while. It was when some of the male faculty entered that she decided that she can't have complete peace in this place. She soon went out of the faculty room, making excuses so as to avoid being interrogated yet again by the ever-jerky Kyoto-sensei.

But where could she go, really? There was nowhere in Shirokin that she could go for a moment's peace.

Unless…

She hurried towards the staircases and proceeded to go up the flight of stairs.

_The rooftop… _she thought. _That's a good place as any._

She just wished that there would be no one there to disturb her.

But she knew that her luck in wishes had already run out when she heard the laughter from outside the rooftop door.

_Great… _she thought in annoyance. _Just perfect. Who would even bother coming up here during lunch? _

Annoyed but feeling curious at the same time, she opened the door a crack and peeked.

_I really shouldn't have asked… _she thought when she saw the familiar sight of her students.

_Sawada and company… again. _

She saw her brightest 3-D student, lounging comfortably on the bench. And he was not alone. Uchi, Minami, Noda and Kuma were with him too, digging happily in their bento boxes.

_What now? _She closed the door.

This was the last place she could think of. Of all the unluckiness… And the brat too. Why of all people… Why did she have to bear with running into Sawada all morning? Her annoyance at him for the morning incident really hadn't gone down up to now. She really should give him a sound knockout. But then…

She let out a cry of surprise when the door opened suddenly and the beam of the sun shone right in her eyes. She had to shield her eyes to avoid hurting them,

"What in the---" she said.

"Yankumi?" she heard Kuma's voice.

She looked up only to see Kuma staring at her with the same wide-eyed surprise.

"What are you doing here?" they both said to each other.

Kumiko blinked profusely.

"I asked first, brat," she said, reminding herself of her still teacher status.

Kuma withdrew from his surprise.

"I'm eating," he held up his bento. "See?"

She smiled at him, though it was half-hearted and uninterested.

"Alright…" she said.

"And you?" Kuma asked. "Why are you here?"

Kumiko shrugged.

"Thought I'd get some air," she said.

"Oi! Kuma!" they heard someone call from behind.

"What's the hold-up?" Yankumi heard the unmistakable voice of Noda.

"You're supposed to go get something to drink!" another voice.

Kuma stepped back from the staircase and faced the others, allowing her to move out of the staircase and onto the rooftop.

"Yankumi's here," Kuma announced.

She stepped out from behind the big guy and saw them all clearly.

She put on her wide smile and approached them.

"Hi, you guys!"

Uchi, Minami and Noda, just gave her odd looks and then proceeded to continue eating. And as for the object of her annoyance, he lay there with his eyes closed, completely unaware of her sudden appearance.

She walked towards them and sat on the floor too, right beside the eating Uchiyama. She said nothing to them as they continued on eating and talking to each other. They wouldn't want her to butt in their conversation anyway. So why bother? And besides, they wouldn't ask what's wrong with her even if she did appeared somewhat uninterested in what they're talking about.

How very wrong she was…

"Hey, Yankumi," Noda said to her. "What's up with you?"

She glanced up to see Noda peering at her.

"What…?" she asked.

Noda continued looking at her, as if making sure that she was indeed there with them.

"You seem to be out of the zone today…" he said. "What's up?"

The others looked at her too.

Now she's the topic?

_I really don't need this at the moment… _she thought.

She decided to brave the situation and grinned.

"Nothing's up," she said cheerily. "Well, if you count in your grades, then yeah, nothing's up!"

Her students groaned.

"Oi, Yankumi," Uchi said. "We're eating here."

"Yeah," Minami said. "Don't ruin our appetites."

Kumiko laughed.

"Well," she said. "You did asked, right?"

"She's probably still reeling from what happened earlier this morning," the unmistakable drawl of Shin was heard.

Kumiko narrowed her eyes at the figure on the bench while the others stared interestingly at him.

"You know something Shin?" Uchi asked.

Shin sat up from his position and stretched his arms over his head. He turned to find all of them staring at him. Well, his friends were staring curiously at him whereas Yankumi, well… Let's just say that if looks could kill literally, they would be holding out his wake soon.

"Maybe…" he said.

"Ooohh…" Noda clapped his chopsticks. "Let's hear it."

Shin smirked smartly at them.

"Why don't you ask her instead?" he nodded to Yankumi.

Four incredibly interested heads turned to her. She had to be surprised of the signature of interest in their faces… Just like what they usually have during their English class.

_Uh oh… Not good…_

"So, Yankumi…" Noda started.

Yankumi inadvertently stood up. All around her, there seemed to be a dozen or more so warning signs flashing red, warning her of the danger coming in.

"Ahaha…" she laughed nervously. "This morning… Well… I just got caught coming in late. Hehehe… Bus made long stops at every godforsaken corner… So I got, uh, in late. Morning faculty meeting and all. Now if you'll excuse me…"

She made a swift move towards the exit. But Sawada's voice made her stop short.

"You forgot to mention _Shinohara-san_, Yankumi," he said clearly, with the emphasis on the copper's name.

She was painfully thankful that she had her back turned to the others there when she heard the loud outcry from her students.

_Sawada… _she thought, her eyes narrowing.

"Yankumi's got someone?" Minami asked animatedly.

"You heard," Uchi said, brandishing his chopsticks.

"Shinohara-san?" Kuma joined in.

"I don't really…" Noda said thoughtfully. "Hey! Is he the tall cop who was always going out with Kawashima-sensei and Fujiyama-sensei?"

"Yeah… The one who's always with the shorter cop-glasses…"

"What happened?"

"Wait! Is he her boyfriend?"

"No! That would be weird, wouldn't it?"

_Weird…? _Kumiko's eyebrow twitched.

"I guess not…" Kuma saved her. "I mean if he likes her…"

"Then he's a man with an eccentric taste."

Laughter.

"But why would she be hung up on him like this?" Minami asked particularly no one.

"Break up?"

"No way!"

"He's not anyone's boyfriend," Noda said. "Or our three female staff wouldn't fight over him."

"But I do wonder why the female faculty has so much interest in that guy…"

"They find him good-looking."

"Good-looking? Him?"

"And he's got status too."

"I never thought Yankumi would go for that guy…"

"Yeah…" Uchi said. "Unbelievable."

_Men!_ Kumiko thought irritably. _They're talking about me as if I'm not even here!_

She sighed.

_What a bunch of mother hen… _

Shin watched his friends with a smirk, which faltered a little when he saw that the pigtailed teacher still haven't turned to face them again.

"So…" Noda was already formulating a conclusion. "That's he's reason why Yankumi's not herself today?"

"Could be…"

The three nodded thoughtfully to each other. Shin only shook his head as he watched her carefully.

"What now, Yankumi?" he whispered to himself.

He didn't actually want to bring out the incident that morning. But her subjective obliviousness and unusual loner antic had irritated him to the point of infinity. He just had to know what's happening to her. Well, he wasn't really sure if he did want to know. But he had to bring her around somehow.

True enough, she had not been herself this whole morning. She would have normally called on their attention when things get a little out of hand inside the classroom. But she had not. She would have normally gone through the whole morning greeting everyone good morning. But she had not. She would have normally… Well, she could have acted in her usual normal way. But she had not.

_Is he that important…? _Shin thought.

She can be a bit too exaggerated at times, can't she?

_Whatever._

The slight movement caught his eye and he watched asKumiko slowly faced them.

Shin was all prepared for the outrage he was so willing to hear from his teacher. Maybe this was a way to bring her around somehow. Work her up to irritation and maybe she'll be normal again.

But what Shin was expecting wasn't exactly what happened next. Because when Yankumi turned to face them, she had this wide goofy smile pasted all over her face.

Not exactly what he imagined.

He stared at her, his smirk completely faltering.

"You guys…" she said. "…Shouldn't talk about things you know nothing of."

At that, Uchi waved his chopsticks at her.

"Oh ho, Yankumi," he chirped. "You do it all the time!"

Kumiko raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah!" came the chorused reply.

She just shook her head at them and proceeded to look at her brightest student. He was looking back at her with kind of imploring yet confused look of his. But no matter what, she still had something to say.

"And Sawada," she continued, her smile still on. "You should know when to keep things to yourself and when to divulge those things to others."

Shin huffed irritably.

"And you should know when to act like you don't really care instead of acting silly in front of someone who knew better," he shot back.

Her smile twitched a little, but she managed to keep it on her face. Uchi, Noda, Minami and Kuma suddenly felt a swift cold air, but chose to ignore it as they watched their friend and their teacher staring at each other carefully.

"What do you mean?" Kumiko's tone was clear and even.

Shin just smirked.

Kumiko looked at him with observing eyes.

_Now what the hell did he mean by that…? _Kumiko mentally strained herself. Acting? Who's acting? Okay… Well, maybe she had been acting a little okay back there. But then… Why did he even care? Didn't he get enough entertainment, ruining her morning earlier?

She crossed her arms over her chest, her smile vanishing completely.

"If you got something to say," she stated. "Say it."

The others shifted from looking at their classmate and their teacher. Uchi mouthed something to Noda, which Noda seemed to understand as _'what's up with them now?' _Noda just shrugged back.

"I would have wanted to have my say," he said slowly. "But then, like what you said, I should know when to keep things to myself."

"You…" she voiced.

Shin stood up and shoved his hands deep in his pockets.

"If you're that angry about what happened, then you should just say it instead of acting moronic all over your workplace,' Shin stated flatly.

"Moronic?" Kumiko was quite taken aback by his choice of words. "_Moronic?"_

Shin kept silent then and just continued staring at her. He couldn't quite tell if she had understood him the way he wanted her to understand him, but he couldn't care less about that now that he's got her attention.

Meanwhile, Noda had mouthed the words '_this morning?_' to Minami who shook his head, completely confused.

"Well?" she challenged.

Shin ran a hand through his thick hair before giving an answer.

"Are you that shook up about what I did this morning?" he said in an almost too quiet voice.

Kumiko's eyes narrowed.

"I couldn't care less about what you did, Sawada," she said. "But that was way too disrespectful, don't you think?"

_I really don't think so…_ Shin thought to himself.

Well, what did he do, really? All he did was to keep them a far away from each other as possible. That isn't bad… is it? Well, it is bad in a way. But he can't help but do something about it, He wouldn't lose her to someone like that cop guy, no matter what. He wouldn't let the guy beat him blue in font of her. No. Absolutely not.

He just hoped she would see it and understand…

Wishful thinking.

"I didn't do anything wrong, Yankumi," he said stubbornly.

"You think?" she returned.

"Yes, I think so," he said. "And if you'll just be willing to open your eyes and try to see who you got around you, you'll understand."

Kumiko looked quite surprised at this that she lost her reply.

_Who I got around me…?_ Kumiko thought.

Feeling the tension rise with each passing second, Uchi and the others moved slowly to collect their stuff. They had apparently lost track of the flow of conversation of the two that they didn't really feel that comfortable listening to them arguing.

"Ah…" Kuma said in a slow tone. "We'll be going then… We'll just…"

Uchi laughed nervously. "Yeah… We'll see you guys later, okay?"

Noda and Minami only waved at the two of them and they all but scooted inside the building. Soon the two of them were all alone.

Shin, on the other hand, refused to look away from her teacher's slowly reddening face. He would have to battle it out with staring if he couldn't get his message straight across.

"Shin Sawada," she said. "You're forgetting the fine line between the two of us."

Shin just sneered at her.

"I am your---" she began but Sawada cut short her speech.

"Don't pull that one on me, Yankumi," he said in a flat tone. "I already know."

At that, he moved to walk towards her.

Shin stopped right in front of her, not that close, but definitely suggesting proximity.

There was a kind of cloud over his eyes that Kumiko found it hard for her to stare back at him without feeling self-conscious. But she held her ground and refused to the idea of getting confused with his eyes.

"I haven't forgotten the line between us, Yankumi," he said. _Though I intend to erase it completely. _"I haven't forgotten about the fact that you are completely indifferent about the things around you." _And I intend to somehow make you feel. _"And I certainly haven't forgotten my respect just yet."

At that, he slowly leveled his face with hers and leaned in.

Surprised with his sudden movement, Kumiko's eyes widened and her shoulders stiffened. She knew that at this moment, she could have moved away or, with accordance to her normal behavior, she could have made a move to punch his lights out. But she could barely make a move, much more, make an effort to hurt him.

"Sa… Sawada?" she stammered, losing her composure a little.

_Is he going to…? What is he doing?_

She felt his hands on her arms now, holding her steady. His face was coming closer now that she could practically see her own surprised expression in his eyes.

_This is… not supposed to be… happening…_

She can almost feel his warm breath on her face now.

_So close…_

She closed her eyes.

And then…

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

_What…? _

Kumiko's eyes opened in an instant.

To her surprise, his face was still leaning in close to hers. But now, it seemed that he wouldn't be making any move to lean in closer. His face hovered before her as they stood there together, him, holding her arm and she, letting him support her.

She felt the warmth seeped to her stomach and rise up to her cheeks.

"For what happened this morning, I'm sorry," he repeated, seeming to see that she didn't quite get what he had said.

She really couldn't speak for a moment then.

But when she felt him moved slowly away from her, the words came in oceans that she didn't know what to say first. Maybe because she was embarrassed. Or maybe, she just couldn't find the right words. Or maybe because she was still reveling in his warmth that she was confused on what to actually say.

The last one would have been the best explanation, but she was going to have to deny that one at the moment because it would just increase her growing self-consciousness.

And still not one word escaped her lips as he stepped back away from her.

He smirked at her.

"Well then, Yankumi," he said lazily. "I'll see you later."

At that, he turned around and proceeded to walk to the staircases. It had taken all his strength to just turn and walk away like that that, leaving her with her surprised expression and lost thoughts. In truth, his legs felt like they were made of jell-o.

He was just thankful enough that he had his back turned to her… Because his teeth was all for showing themselves in an embarrassingly wide smile.

------------------------------

**Author's Notes: **

Isn't this the second time Shin left Kumiko on the rooftop… Hmmm... Hehehe… I've a got something in mind for this… Just you wait…

Hi, you guys! Sorry if I kept you waiting too long. I've been juggling things since school started that I found it hard to really keep up in typing my story. But finally, Hehehe, I did! Thanks for all those who reviewed for me… It really helped to know that you are still interested. Hehehe… I'm just asking you to bear with me a little because I'm still working on them. Anyway… Really love to hear from you guys again! Ja!

**Translation: **

Hehehe... Really sorry for not adding this earlier... I hope this section helps...

aniki – brother

nani – what

gomen ne / sumimasen – sorry or I apologize

Ohayou – good morning

ojii-san – grandfather

Ikimasu – I'm going


	6. Walking You Home

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Gokusen… But if I give you a cookie, would you let me own it…? Nah… Probably not… Hehehe… Nevertheless, I own this story! Wahaha! Fight o!

**Author's notes:**Hi! I'm back, you guys! Sorry for my soooo late update… I know you've been waiting and I thank you deeply for it. I finally got myself some time off after all the schoolwork… Hah! Thank the heavens! Hehehe… Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciated all the encouragement. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**The Only Way **

**by Nia Ashin**

------------------------------

It was another school afternoon.

Just another ordinary school afternoon.

And like any other ordinary school afternoon, the usual crowd of Sawada and his friends had their going-ins at the bowling alley. Bowling wasn't part of their plan after school, but they figured the arcade center wouldn't provide much of a thinking place for a certain redhead in their group. Shin seemed to be out of sorts for the rest of the afternoon after his and Yankumi's small argument at the rooftop. Though he didn't say anything about it, they felt that the talk the two of them had had something to do with how their friend's acting now. Add to that the fact that not even once did Shin stand up to bowl with them. He just sat there, eyes to space, a frown playing on his face. The others knew better than to ask.

Kuma had tried to open up a conversation with him, but he just answered uninterestedly. Kuma gave up on this project almost immediately. No use talking to a sleeper anyway. In turn, he tried to get the others to ask him what's wrong, but Noda, the ever knowing, pointedly refused saying that if Shin doesn't want to talk about anything, then he won't talk about anything.

"Not if Yankumi's the one who's trying to make him talk," Kuma had interjected insightfully.

At that, the others shut their mouths.

At the mention of their teacher's name, they instantly recalled the scene they witnessed earlier that afternoon between their friend and their pigtailed teacher. Something didn't feel right about how the two of them acted out earlier. Not that argument between the two was unusual. But because it was the first time that Shin sounded unexplainably frustrated and hesitant at the same time.

"Should we ask him?" Minami asked the others as he prepped to bowl.

"About?" Noda raised an eyebrow. "Yankumi?"

Minami shrugged before bowling out.

"Maybe we should just let him be," Kuma came up behind Noda. "I don't really know what to ask Shin-chan."

Noda stretched lazily.

"Maybe you're right, Kuma," he nodded to the redhead seated behind them. "He'll loosen up soon, you'll see."

But when the minutes dragged on and Shin refused to loose up and join them, the others appointed Uchi to go and see how Shin was doing.

Uchi took his seat beside the impassive Sawada and spent a few minutes trying to come up with some not-too-prying words. But it to his surprise, it was Shin who spoke first.

"Why stop bowling, Uchi?" Shin asked.

"Huh…?" Uchi was confused. "Uh… ano…"

Shin smirked at him and shifted his resting position.

"They sent you here to check on me, right?" he said directly to his blonde friend.

Uchi grinned embarrassedly.

"Can't we hide anything from you anymore?" Uchi said thoughtfully.

"I've got eyes and ears, you know," Shin said. "And no. You guys can't hide anything from me."

Uchi laughed quietly. Shin just shrugged.

"Well, now that you know why I'm here," Uchi started. "Mind telling me what's up?"

Shin stared blankly at him.

"What do you mean?" Shin asked.

"You have been acting strangely the whole day," Uchi said a matter-of-factly.

Shin leaned back on his seat and fixed his eyes on the bowling line in front of him.

"What do you want me to tell you, Uchi?" he asked.

What a lame diversion… Shin thought to himself.

Of course, he didn't want the others to know that he had been thinking of a certain pigtailed woman and the lip-action they nearly had that eventful lunchtime. He was mentally punishing himself for being to big a wimp for not going for it when she seemed to have been expecting it.

Eh…?

Expecting it?

He tried to frown at the thought. No use letting Uchi see how he wanted desperately to grin like a bobcat.

"What's with you and Yankumi earlier?" Uchi asked.

Shin shifted his gaze onto his friend.

"Yankumi?" Shin echoed.

"Ou," Uchi said. "You seemed to be upset with her for something."

Shin instantly looked away.

"She's got nothing to do with anything," Shin said.

Uchi smirked at him knowingly.

"Yeah," he said. "Go and tell another one."

Shin eyed his friend who seemed to have made himself comfortable on the seat next to him. Uchi closed his eyes and rested his head on the support behind him.

"The way the two of you are acting out earlier…" Uchi mused. "It seemed like you…"

Shin felt something hot creep up on his cheeks and he looked away.

"Seemed like what?" he asked.

"Seemed like you two have something going on," Uchi hit home run.

Shin smirked at his friend.

"What made you think like that?" Shin asked. "Do you really think that I'd get into something serious with that manly… _man_?"

Uchi laughed. Shin just raised an eyebrow.

"Hey," Uchi said. "You may be smart. But I can see right through you, mate. Yeah," Uchi brandished a hand at him. "Right through your clothes and body."

"What do you mean…?" Shin felt completely confused.

Uchi raised his arms as if in protest.

"Hey," he said, laughter in his voice. "You were the one who said that you liked that _manly man_, right?"

Shin felt like boxing himself until he's knocked out cold.

How could he forget…?

When he didn't answer, Uchi smirked triumphantly at him.

"See…?" his friend said in a singsong voice. "I'm right, ain't I?"

Shin felt not unlike a mouse trapped in a mousetrap. And Uchi was the cat. What exactly can he tell his blonde friend about his problem? If you could ever consider that a problem… For heaven's sake. And how much too…?

Shin decided to risk it, even if he knew that he's probably going to regret telling anyone about this sooner or later. He just hoped that it would be later… He didn't really want to deal with anything else at the moment.

He breathed deeply for a moment before launching into telling the truth to his blonde friend. In fairness to Uchi, he listened intently, not saying anything while Shin talked. He might have shaken his head a few times, but still he kept quiet.

When he finished, Uchi could only smile at him.

"So…" Uchi said. "You really fell for her… hard, eh?"

Shin ran a hand through his hair.

"I guess so…" he said.

"There's no guess about it, Shin," Uchi said.

Shin just shrugged.

"Oh wow…" Uchi breathed. "This is the first time I've seen you unsure on what to do. That is so unlike you…"

"Hey…" Shin said. "I know, alright? You don't have to remind me… It's just that…"

For the first time, Uchi understood. This is just one thing that Shin wasn't good at. Okay, maybe he's got all these high grades. He's good in sports. He's good in a fight. But with this? Maybe it's just because it's Yankumi. Or maybe Shin is just not used to someone who can actually stand up against him. Or whatever. All that he knew at the moment is that he has to help his friend out. Somehow. Anyhow.

"The argument you two had earlier…" Uchi chose his words carefully. "It's not just about what you did, right…?

Whatever it was… Uchi added as an afterthought.

"What do you mean?" Shin asked.

"Are you…" Uchi inched slowly away. "…jealous of that cop guy?"

Uchi noted the change in Shin's expression.

"Because Yankumi liked him?"

The scowl showed clearly this time. Then Shin turned away.

"No damn way, Uchi," Shin grunted.

"Oho…" Uchi smiled to himself. "You are jealous…"

"Drop it, Uchi," Shin said. "I'm not."

Uchi knew better than to even try, so he stopped. But he knew the truth and so did Shin.

"Does she know?" Uchi asked.

Shin looked at him again.

Uchi just nodded. "Yankumi, I mean."

"I don't think so…" Shin said thoughtfully. "She's too dense for that…"

Uchi let out a laugh.

"Hai," Uchi said. "She is."

Shin was lost in his thoughts for a moment. She pictured the pigtailed woman once again and he couldn't help but smile. How could she know? She's like a kid… Too playful. Too dense. Too… ignorant.

"You do know that she has to know, right?" Uchi's voice broke through his thoughts.

Shin stared at him and then nodded slowly.

"But then…" Uchi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "How can you tell her that?"

That left Shin stumped. The silence between the two of them stretched, each lost in their own thoughts.

Shin knew he couldn't just go and blurt the truth out in front of her. It would just make their situation all the more worse. She might just laugh at him… Or worse. She might even say that he's just going through an adolescent kind of phase or something like that.

But he knew. What he's feeling right now is not just some phase. She had grown in him and he couldn't deny that. She had changed him and he hadn't had the slightest idea of reverting back.

But how to tell her all that…?

He just had to think of a way…

He had to find a way.

------------------------------

Kumiko was just about an inch to falling asleep when she realized that the sun had already begun to set outside. She looked around the faculty room.

Yep.

She was the only one left.

She sighed as she stood and began to neatly arrange the stack of test papers on her table. She usually reserves the task for the evenings, but her change of routine came about swiftly. She decided to do whatever she can at the school, and then just bring home whatever's left unfinished. She couldn't exactly pinpoint the reason for the change. She just… felt like doing something new this time.

She yawned and checked her watch.

Nearly evening… she thought, scowling. Now, how did it get to be that late already?

After shoving the pile into the desk drawer, she grabbed her bag and took her time walking out, shutting the lights off as she passed the door. The frown on her features clearly showed that she was thinking deeply about something. Or someone for that matter.

She didn't exactly know why, but she had been over her head all afternoon, thinking about what the redheaded student of hers said earlier.

_If you'll just be willing to open your eyes and try to see who you got around you, you'll understand…_

"What the hell does that mean?" she unknowingly asked aloud.

Maybe she should just ask him. It would be easier. But knowing him, he wouldn't give her a straight answer.

Maybe not.

She had embarrassed herself enough in front of Sawada already. And remembering what happened between them in the wee hour of lunch, she couldn't help but blush scarlet despite herself. She didn't notice she had stopped walking.

He nearly… I nearly… We nearly…

"Stop it," she closed her eyes and breathed. "It didn't happen. Forget it, Kumiko."

After a few more seconds of convincing herself, she opened her eyes and smiled timidly.

Yeah, right… she thought. It didn't happen. She gripped the strap of her shoulder bag and she began walking again. She passed by the darkened hallways and made a turn at the lobby. The smile she wore was slowly fading away when she recalled the events again.

It didn't happen. It didn't happen.

A mantra played on her head.

And at that, she all of a sudden found herself a little disappointed that it indeed did not happen.

Whoa! She felt like someone had just dropped a bucket of icy water on her head that she skidded to a halt in front of the school's double doors. She stared back at her horrified reflection on the glass.

Disappointed…? What gives?!

She felt cold.

"Why do I a give SUCH A DAMN?!" she felt like punching the reflection on the glass. That disappointed, pathetic-looking reflection on the glass.

No, Kumiko… she held her breath. You can't risk destroying school property now, can you?

She forced the tight muscles on her face to smile.

Now, that reflection sure looks stupid… she thought when she saw its effects.

At that, she sighed frustrated.

"Damn you, brat," she said and proceeded to march out of the school building.

She marched across the path leading out of the school, trying desperately to kick a certain redheaded boy out of her mind and out of her system. She just felt tired and wanted to get home as quickly as possible. She doesn't need interruptions. Not of this kind anyway. And she is determined to really get rid of her disturbing thoughts for that day. She had gone nearly all the way out of the school gate muttering nonchalantly about 'that damn brat' and his 'silly ideas of this and that', when she was stopped short by the sound of five short words.

"What took you so long?"

She stood frozen in her tracks.

No… she thought, her body becoming immobilized. No, please…

She slowly angled her head towards the direction of the voice and found that her worst fear had just been confirmed.

Sawada Shin, the _certain redheaded boy_, was leaning beside the school's front gate, with his arms crossed on his chest and a bemused frown on his face.

Oh, Kami-sama! She wanted to raise her fists and cry out, but didn't, for fear that it would bring another splash of embarrassment. You just don't forgive, do you?!

This is the second damn time… 

She stood there eyeing him wearily as he pushed himself off from the wall. He moved easily and started to walk away.

"The bus came and went about an hour ago," he said airily. "And here you are, staring at me like a complete idiot."

His words jolted her back to life and the sudden desire to punch anything, or anyone for that matter, came back to her in a flash. She didn't really know why he's there, waiting for her, after what transpired between the two of them that afternoon. His promise, maybe? Or pride?

Whatever… 

She uncomfortably hid her hands inside her jacket pockets and walked behind him, observing his slow gait as they went.

_The brat… _she thought. He may have waited for her to come out of the high school, but that doesn't mean he's actually going to ask her to go with him.

She knew him well enough not to even try question him about it. She'll never get a straight answer anyway.

"Oi, Shin," she voiced, trying to create a conversation between them. "What are you still doing here? Aren't you supposed to be home?"

_I feel like such a fool…_she shook her head.

Shin gave her a glance that clearly said_ 'like you don't know already…_'.

"How many times are you going to ask me that question, Yankumi?" he asked.

_Oh yeah… _she thought. _He had promised to watch over me… _

"Oh, I see…" she tried to think of other words, but nothing came. "Alright then."

Shin walked in front of her and she just lagged behind, quietly observing the young man. If it weren't such a pain, she would have just walked beside him and talked freely like she used to with him. She wouldn't bother him at all, she knew. But due to some unknown reason, she found herself at loss for words.

Shin, on the other hand, was used to the silence around him. He had always liked silence. But he definitely wasn't used to the silence concurred by the pigtailed teacher behind him. After the short conversation earlier, which comprised of about three to four unfinished sentences, she didn't even start up another conversation. Or another scolding speech. Or another… whatever. Something's not quite right.

Shin gave her a glance, and noticed that she was staring at her feet as she walked.

_Just like a high school kid…_Shin smirked. _Maybe she's still upset about what happened earlier… But it wasn't my fault anyway. She was the promulgator of it all…_

But then he really couldn't bear the silence anymore.

"Yankumi," he said, when they reached an intersection. "You're awfully quiet today."

Having no choice but to stay beside him as they waited for the pedestrian light to turn green, she raised her eyes to look at him.

"Eh?"

Shin just cocked his head.

"You're awfully quiet…" he repeated. "Anything wrong?"

Kumiko shook her head a little too quickly for a response.

"Iie," she said, raising her hands in front of her. "No, nothing at all, Sawada."

Shin shrugged.

After a few more seconds, the pedestrian light turned green. Shin was about halfway through the street when he realized that his pigtailed teacher was nowhere near his side. He stopped walking abruptly and took a quick look around. And sure enough, he found her still standing on the sidewalk, looking absolutely interested at the ground. Shin let out an impatient sigh and started to walk back to her.

What the hell is wrong with her…? 

Maybe it was because of his shadow, or his foot, or just his sudden presence in front of her, that she was able to tear her eyes away from the ground for a moment. Seeing his face, she wondered why he was sporting his all-too-familiar annoyed look this time.

"Really, Yankumi," he breathed. "Do I really have to watch your every move?"

She stared at him in confusion. Then her eyes traveled to the green pedestrian light. The it sank to her. They have to cross the street.

"Oh!" she panicked and then stepped around him. "Sorry, I didn't noti---"

Her words were stopped when she felt him grabbed her upper arm and yanked her back to the sidewalk. She gave a yelp and she was pulled to his direction.

"Oi!" she cried. "What---!"

"If you're trying to kill yourself, Yankumi," Shin said in complete irritation. "Don't do it during my watch."

He pointed to the street behind him, and she saw that the cars have started up again.

_I nearly got…_ she rubbed her temple. _Oh god…_

Shin got to the sidewalk beside her and kept quiet. They stayed like that for a few seconds, his hand, still her on arm and holding on. She felt not unlike a child being watched over by an overprotective father.

"Sawada…" she voiced after a few seconds. "I'm sure I can walk on my own, thank you. Now if you please…"

"Yeah," Sawada just rolled his eyes at her. "I'm sure you can, Yankumi."

And his hand still stayed where it was.

_This is utterly embarrassing… _she thought to herself.

She tried to look sideways at her silent companion and saw his bemused frown.

"Uh, Sawada," she started. "About…"

Shin gave her a glance. Though he tried to remain cool and nonchalant, something about his expression changed. But it was so slight that one wouldn't see it even if he tried.

"What?" he asked, running a hand on his tousled hair.

Kumiko fidgeted with her hands, finding it difficult to do so as he still held her arm. He wasn't really looking at her, but she still felt uneasy with what she was about to say. She wanted to ask him about their deal this afternoon, but found herself unable to say anything further. In truth she was trying to figure out what gave them the push to act the way they acted out that afternoon. They clearly weren't involved with each other in any way. Well, maybe except for the fact that Shin was _watching over her_. But still…

"Uh…" she lost her nerve. "Nothing…"

Shin gave her a quizzical look, but said nothing.

_How long till I get home…?! _She sighed and just allowed him to lead her all the way to her house.

------------------------------

It had seemed unbearably long for the both of them before they had finally reached the district where the Kuroda household was strategically situated. Kumiko had already started acting strange when they entered district limits, seeing as Shin still held her arm as they went. Shin, knowing full well as to who she is on her family's grounds, quickly let go of her arm and slowed his walk so as to let her walk ahead of him.

Greetings from left to right showered the _ojou _as they went past the stores that were still open for the night. Kumiko just gave them a slight nod and went on her way. Whether this was her custom or not was unknown to the lad that followed her, but the shopkeepers instantly became wary.

And that was all because of Kumiko wearing that expression that clearly translates they should just get out of her way… or else.

Kumiko managed to keep a straight face until they reached the gate of her house. Feeling relief wash all over her, she turned abruptly around to face the young man behind her.

Shin just observed her.

"Well," Kumiko spoke to the street behind him instead of him. "Here we are…"

Shin just gave a shrug.

"Looks like it," he voiced. "Well, Yankumi. I guess I'll just see you tomorrow."

Kumiko stared at him for a moment.

Was it really all right for her to just let him go home? Should she invite him in?

_Well… Ojii-san always wanted him to come around… _she debated to herself. _But then… I'm feeling a little too embarrassed around him… And I can't risk another few minutes…_

Shin gave her a small nod, turned around and started walking away. He had gone about a few steps when he heard Kumiko call out to him again.

"What did you mean.. earlier…?" Kumiko asked him quietly.

Shin stopped walking and turned to face her. He wasn't at all surprised when he saw that she had taken another interest at the ground. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Say what?" he asked.

"Who…" she raised her eyes to his. "..do I got around me?"

At that, Shin was stumped. He just stared back at her as she waited for his answer. He considered his options before speaking, but he found too that he couldn't decide.

Maybe now's the chance?

Should he answer her?

Or just let it pass?

Shin couldn't really blurt out what he thought he should say. But he knew somehow he just got to tell her. Maybe Uchi was right. Maybe he should just let things happen. Maybe it would help things between them. Or not.

Whatever…

_I'm going straight to foolsville for this…_

"Why do you ask?" his subconscious mind battled for his last defense.

"You should clear what you said," she stated simply.

Shin tried to smirk, but it ended up bland.

"You…" he shook his head. "…wouldn't want to know…"

He returned her gaze. Something in his eyes told her that if she didn't back away from this moment, she'd regret it. But she had the conviction to know.

"Yankumi," Shin started. "I---"

"Ojou!"

A chorus of voices filtered out from the doorway of the house and cut off Shin's starting confession.

Kumiko felt about a dozen bricks hit her head that time and all she could do was to turn around and look at who those intruders were. Shin just looked over her shoulder.

All at once, Tetsu's and Minoru's faces came into view.

"Welcome home, ojou!" they greeted.

Kumiko had the sudden urge to run amok all over the household. But seeing as she couldn't really do that, she just gritted her teeth and tried her best to smile. Or rather, at her current state, grimace would be the appropriate term.

"Ta… Tadaima," she said.

Shin was beside himself for the relief that flooded his system.

_That was close… _he breathed. _I nearly got myself in trouble… Thank the heavens…_

Shin pasted a smirk on his face.

_Oh well.._

"Ah, Shin-chan is here too!" Minoru exclaimed when he saw him.

Shin's stomach dropped when he heard it.

_Shin-chan…?_

Shin nodded to the other members of the household and took a step back.

"Well," he waved off. "I guess I'll be going then."

But before he could even turn around, Kumiko's voice stopped him again.

"Maybe you just stay here with us," she said. "Dinner?"

Shin studied her expression, but it was unreadable.

He thought about it for a few seconds. Eating together with the Kuroda family was always an enjoyable feat, but there's risk of Yankumi asking him again. But going back to his dark apartment didn't look too appealing to him either. He stayed quiet for a few seconds more.

"We're having hotpot tonight, Shin," Minoru backed up the idea.

"It's only appreciation for taking care our ojou," Tetsu added.

Kumiko faced Tetsu with her hands on her hips.

"And who said he 's taking care of me?" she demanded.

Tetsu immediately bowed. "Well, he just happens to be with you, so I thought…"

Kumiko let out a huff.

"So," she turned to face the silent redhead behind her, her all-too-frightening yakuza demeanor returning in a flash. "Are you staying or not?"

Shin' smirk grew all the more bigger as the seconds passed. He just loved seeing Yankumi get all bossy.

"I'll stay," he said as he watched her turn away and stomp straight inside the house.

_This is going to be a long night… _he thought as he allowed himself to be led inside by the other household members.

------------------------------

**Author's notes:**Done! Another chapter! Wahaha! Can I just say I'm so sorry for the late update? Fatigue's caught up with me now that I'm pressured to pass my finals in comparative anatomy… TT bear with me, ok? Anyway… I'm currently editing my next chapter so you guys can just relax and wait for it… I promise it won't be long… Hehehe…

Anyhow… Ja ne!


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